A Fleck of Dry Skin

“My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” (Proverbs 3:11-12)

Hello, my friend.

Today’s passage is both instructive and discomforting, at times. Solomon wrote here that we are to not despise the chastening of the LORD. It’s interesting – this concept of despising the chastening. First of all, despise doesn’t mean what we normally think of. I don’t know about you, but when I think of despising something, I think of hating it deeply, of wishing it didn’t exist, of a long, on-going bitterness against a person or a situation. It makes me (for some reason) think of a rejected lover or a once-close friend who turned enemy.

Remember, for example, when you first gave your heart to the LORD? Remember how warm and fuzzy you felt? That honeymoon stage lasted for a while – until you kind of got used to the idea and the feeling. But then, God started working on you. He started to show you some things He wanted to clean up in your life. Still, because you loved Him it wasn’t so bad. Sure, some of the initial fuzziness had worn off, but it wasn’t so terrible of Him to ask this of you, so you did it. At the time, it only seemed reasonable of Him to want this small thing.

Over time, however, as you and I grew in the knowledge and wisdom of God, He began to dig a little deeper, ask a little more. Maybe you quit cussing when you got saved. Then later, He asked you to quit drinking. After some time in that walk, He started to convict you about some of the things you watched on television or in movies. By now, you were beginning to feel the squeeze of this relationship with Him – like He was trying to covert you from a size 10 down to a size 5, trying to fit you into clothes you had outgrown years prior. (I’m sorry, I know this is a corny example, but I think we can all relate).

Eventually, if we try to hang onto some of our old ways, we can grow resentful. After all, we might argue, is this thing really going to keep me out of heaven? As a pastor, I have been asked so many times that very question! Is smoking going to keep me out of heaven? Is having a glass of wine going to keep me out of heaven? Is occasionally slipping with a cuss word going to negate God’s love for me? On and on the questions go. It all comes back to crucifying the works of the flesh. The only question I have for you (and for myself, I quickly must add) is, “Do you love God more than Marlboro?” “Is Julio and Gallo going to get you into heaven?” “Is cussing someone out more important to you than worshipping the One Who died for you?” I choose these three because they tend to be the Big Three, but it could be anything. Maybe for you it’s porn, or meth, or being a gigolo, or whatever. The question really comes down to, “What is God asking of you?”

I have come to cherish my relationship with God. Have I let other things sometimes interrupt that relationship? Certainly! I’m only human. Just like anyone else. But. When God convicts me of my error – my sin – I confess, ask for His forgiveness, and plead for His strength as I move forward. Surely, I will fall. But thank God for His mercy!

With this understanding, we can now read this verse in a new light. As I grow in God, I must be willing to conform to His demands of me. I once knew a lady who couldn’t watch some of the movies I watched (at the time). They pierced her spirit and caused conflict within her heart and the Holy Spirit. Now, to be fair, God had not yet (at that time) convicted me about those things, but He had her. Try as I might to logically convince her that I was not sinning, because those things had become, for her, a sin, she couldn’t understand. Much like a love affair with our significant other, my love for Jesus must morph and grow into a long-term relationship. After 30, 40, 50 years, I can’t expect to be acting as giddy and silly as I did as a newlywed. By that time, we will have gone through some things, we would have suffered some setbacks and losses, we would have been tempered. Even though the initial fire might have (seemingly) cooled, our love for each other will have become stronger, deeper, and more committed.

As a believer of many years, I must expect God to require more of me, to ask more of me. In fact, I should welcome His demands because they show me He is still in love with me. I’ll give you one more human example before I close. Have you ever gone out with someone (spouse or otherwise) on a classy date? You know, the hair is just right, the makeup is impeccable, their clothes are perfect – everything is just right. Except. They have a piece of dry skin on their face. As beautiful as she is, as handsome as he is, you just can’t seem to pull your eyes off that one imperfection. It bugs you. You want to say something, but you don’t want to ruin the mood. Finally, out of sheer desperation, you reach over and pull it off. Whether you say it or not, what do you think? “Finally, now you are perfect!”

The same thought is in the mind of God. We are to grow into the fulness of Christ, into His image and likeness, into His perfection (if you will). His correction, His discipline, His chastening, is all geared toward that end. Even though our flesh may rebel, He only wants the very best for each of us. That is my challenge for you (and myself) today – to willingly, lovingly submit to His correction in our lives – to become the personification of Christ on the earth. Even though it is painful, it will yield within us the peaceable and effective power and fruit of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Be blessed.